1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the hanging of the standard shower curtain using a unique attachment device. The bead attachment device, which comes in different styles makes it easy to hang the shower curtain and take it down. The specially designed telescoping rod is made just for receiving the bead attachment devices with ease. Here is a list of researched patents that related to a shower curtain or drapery that will be discussed.
2. Description of the Related Art
Individuals faced with the household task of hanging, replacing and removing the shower curtain must deal with a frustrating and tedious chore. There is a need to make this job fun, easy and turn the simple hanging of a shower curtain into a neat decorating activity. Once the bead attachment devices are on the curtain, they need not come off and are water proof. The most common way of hanging the shower curtain is by using the ring connectors. The rings are placed on the curtain one at a time and then placed on the curtain rod one at a time. When it is time to clean or remove the curtain, the ring connectors again must be opened one at a time. This task is not only time consuming, but tiring because of the awkward position to perform the job. Also the apertures on a standard curtain or liner tear very easily when inadvertent stress is placed on the curtain. The bead attachment devices with its stretchable ring eliminates these problems.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,393 issued on Jun. 6, 1995 to M. Wolfe describes a shower curtain edge stay to prevent a shower curtain from curling inward. A stiffening rib member is disposed at the bottom of and on at least one side of a shower curtain. The stiffening rib member is at the edge of the shower curtain and extending parallel to a horizontal edge of the shower curtain. The Easy Curtain is for a totally different use from Wolfe's invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,109,912 issued on May 5, 1992 to L. Gary is a drapery system with a standard C-shaped drapery rack which holds a drapery carrier having a spool-shaped head portion supporting a flat plate portion having hook material on one side and loop material on the other side. These fastening aids will attach to hook or loop patches on the top rear edge of the drapery. This hanging method for drapery is useful, but Easy Curtain is usually concerned with the hanging of shower curtains or liners. Drapery could be hung using the Easy Curtain method if the drape could accept the bead attachment devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,580 issued on Sep. 22, 1992 to D. W. Dyckow describes a shower curtain sealing and fastening arrangement kit. A strip of hook or loop material is attached to one side edge of a shower curtain to mate with another strip of loop or hook material on the shower stall wall. A sealing protrusion strip is also provided to apparently clamp the edge of the shower curtain.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,461 issued on Apr. 1, 1997 to Y. Tominaga et al. describes a hanging device for a pleated curtain having separated patches of female or looped fasteners on its top rear edge which mate with a plurality of curtain hanging fasteners. A fastener comprises a rectangular plate-like base member with a top hook. The base member has a critical arrangement on one face of male or hook fasteners which are molded with the plastic base. The hooks are formed in three groups with the hooks directed either downward or toward to resist disengagement. The hanging device is hooked onto a curtain runner with rollers traversing a C-section curtain rail.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,595 issued on Dec. 24, 1996 to T. Takizawa et al. describes a curtain attachment connector comprising a fastener member similar to Tominaga et al. except for the arrangement of the hook elements arranged in rows, columns or in scattered array with the hook ends up.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,297 issued on Sep. 2, 1997 to Christensen, et al. describes an adjustable shower curtain rod. The shower curtain support rod assembly which mounts between opposing bathtub stall walls which, when installed, allows a shower curtain to be slidably movable in an inward and outward direction with respect to the longitudinal edge of the bathtub, thereby creating more space for a shower taker. When a shower is not in progress, the shower curtain can be slid inward thereby creating more space in the remaining bathroom area.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,561,870 issued on Oct. 8, 1996 to Hertel presented here is a shower curtain rod attachment. A one-piece, multi-functional gripping connector is disclosed, to be used as a shower curtain rod attachment in conjunction with a standard shower curtain and curtain rod assembly, to allow the end or ends of the curtain to be turned inward, thereby preventing water from spraying out of the shower enclosure. The sole point of support for the attachment is its connection to the shower curtain rod. The invention is comprised of a single sheet of strong, flexible, elastic material, such as PETG thermoplastic, which is formed into an open-sided, open-ended, tubular shape having rounded edges, and which is also notched and bent 90-degrees at the mid-point to form an elbow configuration. Installation is by hand, without use of tools, and will not damage existing surfaces. Removal of the shower curtain rod is not required. Alternate embodiments are also disclosed, which provide illustrations of the invention's multi-functional aspects.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,426,821 issued on Jan. 27, 1995 to Story describes a wrap-around bathtub curtain rod The shower curtain rod has curved ends branching from the straight body. A curtain hung therefrom is caused to follow a curved contour of a bathtub below. Tracks are provided on the inner and outer sides of the curtain rod so that inner and outer curtains may be suspended therefrom. The inner curtain follows the bathtub contour, and the outer curtain extends to both of two parallel walls defining the shower stall. Curtain fasteners are slidably held within the tracks. The fasteners are insertable when turned ninety degrees from their normal, vertical orientation, then turned so that fastener hooks face downwardly. The fasteners are thus positively retained by the curtain rod, while allowing the curtains to be opened and closed independently from one another.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,862 issued on Sep. 13, 1988 Skrzelowski describes a type of Shower curtain support. The shower curtain support defines a track for slidably suspending a shower curtain across the front opening of a shower stall and around end comers of the support rearwardly at the front opening. End portions of the shower curtain may be drawn around the comers and inside the shower stall to overlap at least a portion of the surface of the stall end walls in order to prevent leaks. Alternately, a continuous curtain support track is provided in a U-shape or other configuration. Endpieces attached thereto support a curtain in a plane parallel to wall surfaces to prevent spraying or splashing outside the shower area.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,088,174 issued on May 9, 1978 to Edwards describes a shower curtain anchor attachment. An apparatus to retain and guide the lower edge of a conventional shower curtain in relation to the inner surface of a shower or bathtub enclosure is mainly used to prevent water from spraying on the floor.
While many of the inventions dealt with the hanging of a curtain, none demonstrated the unique method of dealing with the problems of both hanging and removing the shower curtain in the same manner as the Easy Curtain.